a necessary cause is a sin and bringeth great disadvantage both upon our selves and others 1. Upon our selves we lose those helps which God hath afforded for the edification of our souls Fire laid abroad qâ—ickly abateth nay goeth out when if it be raked up together it continueth and increaseth I suppose the Spirit of God is so exact in registring the absence of Thomas from the Apostles company when Christ vouchsafed them his personal and gracious presence and the sad fit of unbelief which he fell into upon it partly as a warning to all Christians that they lose not such seasons as they love their immortal souls Ioh. 20. 24 25. But Thomas one of the twelve was not there when Iesus came The other Disciples therefore said unto him We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them Except I shall see in his hands the print of the Nails and put my fingers into the print of the Nails and thrust my hand into his side I will not believe Had Thomas been present when the Lord appeared how strongly might he have withstood Satans assaults against his faith His senses had been sufficient to have confuted the father of lies and helpful to have quencht his fiery darts but by his absence how dangerously was he shaken in that fundamental truth Satan hath a wonderful advantage of that person whom he meets without any warrant from God alone If I travail alone between Sun and Sun I have the Law for my protection that if I be robbed I may recover my loss of the Country but if at other times it is at my own peril If I be alone at the call of my God either when secret duties or my particular calling require it and my grand enemy set upon me I may expect help from him whose work I am about but if when he commandeth me to associate with his people I needlesly wander from them and any hurt befal me I must thank my self and look for no reparation at his hands It is observable that the house of Iobs Eldest Son which was the grave wherein all his children were buried stood alone otherwise the wind from the Wilderness could not have smote the four corners thereof O t is dangerous to be solitary when God requires thy company amongst his chosen There is a wo to him that is alone such a man shall be sure to have Satan for his companion He is ever ready to assault when none is neer to assist Eve was tempted with too much success when she was alone without her Husband Dinah gadding from her fathers house was defiled Ioseph was then assaulted when the whole Family was gone save the instrument of the assault How soon are straglers snapt up when those that march with the body of the Army are safe Pyrates lye skulking to find a Vessel sailing alone when those that sail in company are a convoy to each other They who separate are soon seduced The Cormorant or Sea-Eagle hath this property that she will not seise upon the fish in the water when they are in sholes but when single she makes them her prey Solitude is not more hurtful to the body then to the soul and to nature then to grace When David was an exile from the society of the Israelites and wandred abroad he fell into diffidence and distrust nay into hard and blasphemous thoughts of God as if he had forgotten to be gracious as if he himself had cleansed his heart in vain He then said in his haste that all men even Samuel who had anointed him to the Kingdom and promised him from God that he should be King were lyars It is a disadvantage to others When Saints do not meet together their love cooleth nay contentions frequently follow to the hardening of the wicked and the discouraging of the weak The Temple or body of Christ is not built up with blows and Schismes The parts of the Temple were framed and squared in Lebanon at the rearing of it up in Zion there was no noise either of Axe or Hammer Babel it self could not be built by divided tongues muchless Sion by divided hearts When Christians divide and separate weak beginners know not what to do whom to follow but are ready to say with Cicero when Caesar and Pompey were at odds Quem fugiam scio quem sequar nescio I know whom to flie but I know not whom to follow O how dreadful are the consequents of such civil wars Discord is not without cause described by the great Italian to be cloathed with a garment of divers colours made up of patches and they rent cut and torn her lap fâ—ll of writs citations processes and arrests attended onely wiâ—h Clarks Scriveners Atturneys and Lawyers but she was followed with bitter clamours and diswal howlings Melancthon perswading the Protestants in his time to peace tells them a parabolical story of the Dogs and Wolves who were meeting to fight one against another The Wolves sent out their Scout to know the strength of their adversaries The Scout returns and tells the Wolves that indeed the Dogs exceeded them in number but they need not fear them for he had observed they were not like one another Besides they marched as if they were offended rather with themselves then their enemies grinning and snarling yea biting and tearing one another therefore let us not be discouraged but march on resolutely Dissention amongst men brings destruction on men A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand They who imbodied toâ—â—â—her may be able to overcome thousands divided and taken singly may be overthrown by a very few The hardest Adamant if once broken flieth into such small dust that its scarce discernable and so cometh to nothing The people of God have not seldom made themselves a prey to Persecutours by their heart burnings and divisions When the Town is once set on fire by the Granadoes shot in from them that besiege it the enemies hope to take it with the more ease Naturalists tell us that a Punice stone cast into the waters though it be never so big whilst it remains entire and the parts hold together t will swim above the water but break it once in peices and every part sinks to the bottom Truly such often times is the state of the faithful They who holding together are safe and as a bundle of stâ—ves not to be bowed when parted and taken singly are easily broken It is the Shepherds observation that when Sheep Butt one against another it s a sign of foul weather and of an approaching storm We have too much cause to fear that the Schismes and Contenâ—ions in the Church of God at this day do portend some heavy judgement to hang over our heads SECT III. I Shall now direct thee Reader how 〈◊〉 â—xercise thy self to godliness in Christian Company First I must give thee a Word of Caution Take heed of those sins which Christians when they accompany together are most prone to Saints are apt to
all wicked men after death when they come into the other world will wish in earnest with all their hearts and souls that they had minded nothing but the service of God and exercising themselves unto godliness There there it is that the whole world that now lyeth in wickedness and will not believe the word and wisdom of their Maker will all set their hands and seals to the truth of that which I am now endeavouring to evince When God sends his Officer death to arrest sinners for the vaste summs which they owe to his justice for their breach of his laws and this Serjeant according to command from the King of Kings executes his writ and delivers his prisoner to the Divels Gods Iaylors and they seize as so many roaring Lions on the poor trembling prey and hale them to their own den hell that dungeon of eternal darkness where sinners see and are assured that all their meat must be flakes of fire and brimstone and all their drink a cup of pure wrath without mixture and all their Musick howling and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and all their rest torments day and night for ever and ever and all their Companions frightful Devils and a cursed crew of damned wretches and all this to come upon them for not making religion their business whilst they were on earth Then O then they will wish with all their souls and strengths again and again that they had minded the Christian mans calling and made religion their business whilst they were in this world though they had been slaves or beggars or vagabonds and had lived in poverty and disgrace and prisons and fetters during their whole pilgrimage Now Reader if the witness of one enemy be a double testimony what is the witness of all the enemies of God and Godliness on the behalf of the Lord and his ways against themselves Shall it not prevail with thee to set speedily and diligently about the work of Christianity Ah how dumb wilt thou be struck another day if thou wilt not believe either God or good men or thy conscience or thy companions or all the world 12. and Lastly Is not that worthy to be made thy business upon which thine eternal life or death salvation or damnation doth depend Consider it friend here is salvation and damnation before thee eternal salvation and eternal damnation and they depend upon thy making religion thy business or neglect of it O what weight is there in these few words Make religion thy business and thou art eternally blessed be formal and careless about it and thou art cursed for ever upon the one and the other turneth thine eternal estate The Almighty God hath under his own hand set down this making religion thy business to be the onely terms upon which heaven shall be had and it is impossible to alter or abate his price Ioh. 6. 27. Mat. 6. 33. Philp. 2. 12. Canst thou be so foolish as to think that Christ and happiness and eternal life can be obtained upon easier conditions whea he must make God a liar and the Gospel a lie which the Divel himself is not so wicked as to think possible who arriveth at the port of bliss without exercising himself to Godliness The promises ever since the world was had the same conditions and ever will whilst the world shall endure The Gospel is therefore called the everlasting Gospel because it will continue without the least change or alteration the same for ever Thou mayst be confident that God doth not as some indiscret Citizens ask much more for his eternal glory and life men then he intendeth to take I say again ponder it for this argument hath more in it then thine understanding can possibly conceive or imagine Is not that worthy to become thy business and main work in this world upon which thine everlasting weal or wo thine endless estate in the other world doth depend Reader if that doth not deserve all thy time and pains and soul and heart and infinitely more upon which unchangable joy or eternal torments hang then I am sure nothing doth Alas all the things of this world whether about food or raiment or houses or lands or wives or children nay and life it self are but toys and trifles and shadows and nothings to an everlasting condition in the other world O that thou wert but able to conceive what it is to be eternally in fullness of pleasure or eternally in extremity of pain to be frying in flames for ever or bathing in rivers of delight for ever To enjoy God in his ordinances though it be but imperfectly and in a low degree one hour one day how sweet is it His tabernacles are highly amiable upon that account One day in thy Courts is better then a thousand elswhere But to enjoy God fully immediately and for ever too O how superlatively how infinitely pleasant and delightful will it be To be in Gods lower house though but a little time under some pious powerful Minister how reviving and refreshing is it But to dwell in his upper house for ever O blessed are they that dwell in that house they always praise thee The eternal presence of God will cause an eternal absence of all evil and an eternal confluence of all good O Reader who will not work hard labour much exercise himself to Godliness night and day do any thing that God commandeth suffer any thing that God inflicteth forbear any thing that God forbiddeth to be saved eternally to be infinitely blessed in the fruition of God for ever Surely its worth the while to obey the counsel of God in order to eteâ—nal salvation On the other side eternal damnatian how dreadful is it if it be but the scratch of a pin for ever or a little ach of the head for ever it woâ—ld be very doleful but a violent head-ach or tooth-ach or fits of the collick or stone for ever oh how intolerable would they be But ah how terrible is the wrath of God for ever darkness of darkness for ever the fire of hell for ever to which all the wracks and torments in this life are next to nothing Ah who can dwell in everlasting burnings I suppose thou woulst avoid thy wicked companions and forbear thy sinful courses do any thing thou couldst rather then to boyl in a furnace of scalding water for a thousand years nay one year and wilt thou not make religion thy business when otherwise God himself hath told thee thou shalt boil in a furnace of scalding wrath infinitely worse then scalding lead for ever ever ever Consider what thou hast read and the Lord give thee understanding that thou mayst be wise to eternal salvation Reader these twelve Questions being proposed I desire thee to answer them to him before whom thou shalt answer ere long for all the motions of thy heart and passages of thy whole life and I shall not detain thee longer in the passage though it be much
wife and children and flesh and heart faile thee and forsake thee godliness would say to thee and stand to it also as Peterâ—o â—o Christ though all forsake thee yet will not I. Wâ—en the worlds Trinity Credit Profit and Pleasure serve their lovers and worshippers as Rats and Mice do an house leave it when it is on fire flye from them in their need and extremity godliness would stick to thee as close as fast as Ruth to Naomi where thou goest it would go where thou lodgest it would lodge nay it would follow thee into the other world and abide with thee a cordial a comfort for ever It would give thee cause to say to it as she to her daughter in law thou hast shewed more kindness to me at the latter end then at the beginning What canst thou have to object against godliness that sets thee at such a distance from it Wilt thou believe a lying world a deceitful flesh a destroying Devil or the God of truth Who is thy greatest enemy God or they Who will do thee most good God or they If thou wilt be tryed by the confessions of the greatest enemies that godliness hath even they in their hours of extremity will tell thee grace is of infinite worth godliness is the best of all Ah how happy had we been at this hour had we been as faithful servants to Religion as we have been slaves to foolish lusts and pleasures If Reason may be heard thou wilt not defer one moment the entering thy name in this society and binding thy self Apprentice to thy Saviour thou mayst see plainly that it is thine interest as well as thy duty and all thy happiness for this and the other world dependeth on it If Scripture may be heard thou wilt quickly set about thy general calling and make Religion thy business it calleth loudly to thee to turn thy back upon earth and face about for heaven to forsake the flesh before the flesh forsake thee It telleth thee plainly under the hand of thy Maker that if thou livest after the flesh and sowest to the flesh thou shalt dye eternally If the Conscience within thee may be heard thou wilt presently give a bill of divorce to thy carnal bruish delights and strike an hearty Covenant wit Jesus Christ It often warneth thee of thy duty and danger and terrifieth thee with the forethoâ—ghts of that fire and fury which thou art hastening to â—eel If thy friends and relations who have any sense of a jealous God and eternal estate may be heard then thou wilt immediately hearken to the counsel I commend to thee from God and exercise thy self unto godliness They advise and perswade and intreat thee to turn over a new leaf and lead a new life and to mind in thy day the things of thy peace If the God upon whom thou livest by whom thou movest from whom thou hast thy being may be heard thou wilt now wink on the world crucifie the flesh loath thy self for thy filth and folly and devote thy heart and soul to his fear He commandeth thee by his dominion over thee and thy obligations to him he threatneth promiseth affrighteth allureth and all to make thee mind thy allegiance to him and the work he hath given thee to do in this world If thy Saviour who humbled himself for thy sake and took upon him the form of a servant and in thy nature was buffeted scourged and crucified may be heard then thou wilt immedately take the counsel that is given thee and turn to the Lord with all thy heart and loath thy self for all thine abominations He pleads with thee most pathetically presenteth to thee the stripes and wounds which sin caused in his blessed body the blood which he shed the ignominy he endured the agony the death he suffered and all to satisfie for sin to make himself Lord both of the dead and living he tells thee he gave himself for thee to redeem thee from all iniquity and to purifie thee to himself a peculiar child zealous of good works If the daily and nightly and hourly mercies that thou injoyest if the sickness or pain or loss or disgrace or afflictions which sometimes thou sufferest may be heard there would not be so much ado to perswade a wretched creature to be blessed and an ungodly person to be holy and happy If the inanimate and irrational creatures the earth beneath thee the heavens above thee the beasts and birds about thee might be heard thou wouldst whilst it s called to day now after so long a time attend to the call and command of him in whose hand is thy life and breath and follow after holiness without which thou shalt never see the Lord. Shall a Centurions servant go when he bids him go and come when he bids him come and wilt not thou go and come at the voice of God Did Balaams Ass speak at Gods command and reprove the madness of the Prophet Did Ravens at Gods command feed Élijah Did Cater-pillars and Locusts and Frogs and Lice execute Gods judgements upon Pharaoh Do fire and hail and snow and vapours and stormy winds fulfil his word Doth the earth open the rocks rend the stars fight in their courses waters stand up in heaps as a wall the Moon stand still the Sun go backward wildernesses tremble things cross the course of nature to obey his pleasure and wilt not thou obey him O man bethink thy self wilt thou be worse then these irrational and inanimate creatures are not thy engagements to God infinitely above theirs what wilt thou have to say for thy self when every stone in the street as well as star in the heavens when every biâ—d and beast and fowl will condemn thee O where wilt thou appear I must tell thee that a perillous time a day of extremity an hour of trouble and anguish is hastning upon thee which thou canst no more escape or avoid then thou canst flye from thy self when the pleasures and delights and honey and beautiful countenances of those Scorpions thy fleshly lusts will all be past and gone but the sting remain to pierce and torment thee when those dreggy waters in which thou bathest thy self now will all be dried up when all thy possessions and preferments and friends and relations will serve thee as women their flowers when they are dead and withered who throw them away or as sinking floores that will fail men when their weight is on them And then O then what wilt thou do Thou wilt wish that religion had been thy business and call and cry to it as the Elders of Gilead to Iephthah when the children of Ammon made war with them Come thou and be our Captain and save us from our enemies Come thou and be my Captain to save me from the curse of the law the terrors of my guilty conscience the wrath of the Infinite God and the torments of the eternal fire But godliness will answer thee as Iephthah did them